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1. iRobot Roomba® i7+
Roomba made the first robot vacuums, and the i7+ offers a good balance between tech and price. It maps as it cleans and has two brushes for hard floors and carpets, adjusting accordingly. It runs for 75 minutes and empties itself into the base station with a satisfying whoosh, then recharges.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Good value, this basic, quiet robot has a 100-minute run time and at just 7.3cm tall, it can fit under most sofas. It has a decent 600ml dirt container, which you empty by hand, plus a simple remote control. It detects objects with its sensors and bumpers.
This impressive model has good object-detection, via the light detection and ranging (Lidar) turret, and a camera: using an app, you can direct it into rooms. Battery life is an hour. The square front is great in a straight line, but can be tricky in tight corners.
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4. Miele Scout RX3
Simple to use with the remote control, this model has no need for an app. Although noisier than the Roomba, it’s better at sweeping up debris, with long brushes for hard floors and stiffer ones for carpets, which have to be swapped manually. It has a 120-minute run time, and a 400ml dirt container.
Using a mix of camera, Lidar and 3D-mapping, this clever robot vacuum and “sonic” mop can recognise furniture. It has obstacle detection and a 180-minute run time, but the base station is big and bulky.
